Bottle-cap.



W. F. PEREZ.

BOTTLE GAP.

- APPLICATION FILED 11017.2, 1911.

1,114,181. Patented 0ct.20,1914.

WALDO FRANK PEREZ, OF KEY WEST, FLORIDA.

IB OTTLE-CAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 2, 1911 Serial No. 658,255.

ful Improvements in Bottle-Caps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bottle caps and more particularly to that type designed primarily for use in sealing bottles containing beer and other carbonated beverages. The invention contemplates providing such a cap with a tongue or finger-piece which may be rasped and manipulated as a lever to pry o the cap from the bottle, and while it has before been proposed to provide a cap of this type with such a tongue, such prior devices present certain disadvantages which render them commercially impracticable, and which disadvantages the device of the present invention is designed to overcome.-

For example, as far as I am cognizant ofthe priorart, all-such devices are so constructed that the finger-pieces or the tongues thereof lie against or extend beside the necks of the bottles to which they are applied and therefore requiring the insertion of an instrument of some sort between'the tongue and the neck of the bottle, such instrument being employed as a lever to force the tongue outwardly from the neck and in this manner disengage the cap from the bottle. Chief among the disadvantages of such a construction is that the finger alone cannot be employed in removing the cap, or if it is employed, is liable to injury, and if an implement of any sort is inserted between the tongue of such a cap and the neck of the bottle to which it is applied, and is used as a lever to pry the cap from the bottle, the neck of the bottle is extremely liable to be fractured. A further disadvantage of such a structure resides in the fact that while the tongue of such a cap is designed to serve the purpose of a lever in prying the cap from the bottle, its direction of extent from the cap proper is such that it possesses little advantage or function to this end. To overcome the disadvantages above mentioned, and presented by a cap constructed as before briefly described, the present invention contemplates providing a cap of this type with a tongue or finger-piece which extends substantially at right angles from the bottle neck so that the maximum leverage is secrred, as one advantage gained, and the tongue may be readily grasped for the purpose of removin the cap and may be manipulated for th1s purpose without the employment of an instrument of any 'kind. Such caps of this type as constitute the prior art usually have stamped up in the tongue or finger piece, a reinforcing rib, the purpose of which is to prevent bending of the tongue when the tongue is manipulated to ry'oif the cap, but such ribs as'previ'ously' Ecrmed, have either been terminated short of the po nt of juncture of the tongue with the rim of the cap, or, have been extended into the run 1n such member as to suitably reinforce the tongue, but on the other hand to render Patented Oct. 20, 1914,

the cap practically useless for the purpose of retaining the gas within the bottle.

The invention therefore, has for a further object to provide a cap of this type, the tongue of which is formed with 'a reinforceing rib so stamped therein as to form a continuation of one ofthe ribs occurrin' between two of the crimps inthe rim 0% the cap so that the crimps in the rim extend in an uninterrupted series in the same manner as they do in the common formof cap now in general use, although the tongueisso reinforced both throu hout its entire length and also at its point 0 juncture with the rim of the cap, that it will not be liable to bend at said point of juncture or at any point in its length when manipulated to remove the cap from the bottle. While it is above stated that the advantage gained by having the tongue extend from the cap soas to lie substantially at rightangles to the neck of the bottle to which the cap is applied is that the tongue may be readily grasped between the fingers and, without the employment of an implement of any sort, and be readily manipulated to remove the cap, this arrangement of the tongue presents this further advantage:A bar tender in opening a number of bottles of beer will grasp a bottle in each hand and insert the necks of the bottles into an opener device'fixed upon the bar, and while some little time is saved by grasping a bottle in each hand, it is necessary to successively insert the necks of the bottles. A bar-tender, on'the other hand, handling bottles sealed by caps embodying the present invention, could readily grasp the necks of two bottles in each hand and with the tongues of the caps projecting away from him and strike these tongues against the edge of the bar, thereby practically simultaneously opening four bottles at one operation. Obviously this could not be done by the use of caps constructed with their tongues designed to lie against or extend beside the necks of the bottles to whlch they were applied, and in fact whatever advantages such a construction of cap would have when adopted merely for private or famlly use would be nullified if adopted for use by dispensers of such beverages, for the reason thatit would require more time to remove a cap so constructed and with its tongue so positioned than it would to make use of the ordinary opener in removing the commonvtypeof cap now in general use.

- Fora full understanding of the invention reference is tobe had to the following description and accompanying drawlng, in which I Figure 1 is a perspective'view. of a cap embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.v Fig. 3 is a similar, view butvlooking directly at the end of the tongueof the cap.. Fig.4 is a vertical transverse. sectional view on the line ,4-4

p of Fig. 2.

,..Corresponding andlike parts: are referred to the following. description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawing by the same reference characters.

In the drawing, the cap is illustrated as includingtheusual crown portion 1, which is ,fiatpr substantially v,flat and. from which depends .the circumscribing rim 2, there bethe usualicork, orcompositiondisk 3 positioned withinthe cap: against the under side of the crown 1.for the purpose ,of preventing the escape of gas from the bottle.

to which thecap. is applied As is usual, the rim 2 is formed with a series of.crimps 4 extending ,continuously therearound, and it will be observed .from inspection of the several figures of the drawing that this series of crimps is at no point interrupted. I The formation of the crimps 4: results in the formation, between them .of short outstanding ribs or corrugations5.

Thecap of thepresent invention includes a tongue which, aside. from a reinforcing rib stamped therein, and to be presently specifically described, is fiat, .thisotongue being.

indicated by-the. numeral 6. The reinforcing rib stamped up in the tongue '6 and above referred to, is. indicated by the numeral Z. and by referring to the drawing, it will be observed that this rib. forms. and constitutes a continuationof one of.the ribs 5 occurring between .two of the crimpsAe. In other words, one. ,of the ribs .5 and .the reinforcing rib 7 intermerge at the. point of juncture of the tongue with the rim of the canso that ..the ribv Twill extend into the saidrimiof the cap.- a From inspection of Fig. 1 of the drawing itlwill be observed that the tongue 6 has its lateral edges converging in the direction of its outer end, and that the said lateral edges at their inner ends merge with the rim of the cap at points at the middles of the lower edges of the crimps between which is located that rib 5 of which the reinforcing rib of the tongue forms a continuation. It will further be observed by referring to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing that the under side of the tongue 6 lies in a horizontal plane parallel to the plane of the crown portion 1 of the cap and that the upper side or edge, so to speak, of the reinforcing rib, is inclined downwardly and outwardly in a direction from the plane of thecrown portion 1 toward the plane of the under sideof the tongue 6. 1 From the foregoing description of the invention it will be readily understood that the crimps in the rim of the cap extend in a continuous and uninterrupted series around the rim of the cap inexactly .the same manner as do the crimps in-the rim of that type of capnow in common use; so that the cap of.the present invention will obviously seal a bottle to. which it is applied as effectually and in the vsame air tight manner-as does the old type of cap. It-willfurther be observed that the tongue projects laterally from the rim of the ca and, .when the cap is applied to a bottle, extends inxa direction at right anglesfrom the neck of thebottle and in position to be gripped and manipulated or to be struck against the edgeof a table or bar. Also, as heretofore described, the reinforcing rib 'of the tongueand one of the .ribs between two of the. crimps in the rim of the-cap intermerge so that thetongue is not weakened at its vpoint of .ju'ncture with the rim of the cap, but as a. matterhof fact is well reinforced at. this point and there isno liability of its being bent when manipulated to pry the. cap from the bottle.

- Having thus described the invention what .is claimed as new is 4.1 A bottle cap having. a crown portion and -a locking rim, and a tongue projecting laterally from the rim. and having its under side in a'plane substantiallyparallel to the plane. of the crown portion, the said tongue heingformed with a reinforcing rib extendingthroughout theentire length there of. and merging'into the rim, 7

2, A bottle cap :having a crown portion and. a. rim formed. with an uninterrupted series of crimps, the formation of the crimps resulting in. a series ofribs, a tongue projecting laterally from the rim and having itslateral edgesmerging at their inner ends into the lower edge of the rim at points substantially at the middles of the lower edges ,of the. .two adjacent ones of the reinforcing ribextending longitudinally thereof and forming a continuation of the rim located between the said two adjacent crimps.

3. A bottle cap having a crown portion and a rim formed with an uninterrupted seriesof crimps, the formation of the. crimps resulting in a series of ribs, a tongue projecting laterally from the rim and having its lateral edges merging at the inner ends into the lower edge of the rim at points substantially at the middles of the lower edges of two adjacent ones of the crimps, the under side of the tongue being in a plane with the lower edge of the rim and the tongue being formed with a reinforcing rib extending throughout the entire length thereof and forming a continuation of that one of the v ribs which is located between the said two adjacent crimps.

4. A bottle cap having a crown portion and a rim formed with an uninterrupted series of crimps, the formation of the crimps resulting in a series of ribs, a tongue projecting laterally from the rim and having its lateral edges merging at their inner ends into the lower edge of the rim at points substantially at the middles of the lower edges of two adjacent ones of the crimps, the under side of the tongue being in a plane with the lower edge of the rim and the tongue being formed with a reinforcing rib extending throughout the entire length thereof and forming a continuation of that one of the ribs which is located between the said two adjacent crimps, the said rib upon the tongue decreasing in height and width from the inner end of the tongue to the outer end thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALDO FRANK PEREZ. 

